Sky News making fun of Mental health

Hey @Jacques you're right it's pretty tough seeing media outlets misrepresenting mental illness and perpetuating stigma. Especially when they're the perfect outlet to shift the public's perception of those living with mental illness.

How are you feeling now?

I tried to find it on the podcast but couldn’t. You can always send an email to Sky News. It is a horrible feeling watching a programme where people are laughing about mental health..

hi @Ma60 and @Former-Member

the podcast is on apple podcasts, it is dated 22 november

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/sky-news-outsiders/id1182784661?mt=2

im, so so hurt by there comments, i doubt emailing them would make any difference they are extremely bias and i am scared they will make fun of me.

im just frustrated people like me has to be continually put down because we are not normal.

Hi @Jacques, I read this post yesterday and have had it going through my mind since. It's brought up some memories too of times I have been really upset by news stories in the past. One time I remember, even though it was decades ago when I was quite young, and I first encountered one of those stories slamming 'dole bludgers'. I was on a Centrelink benefit at the time due to severe illness with Crohns Disease, and what was then my undiagnosed mental illness. It felt so terrible to be damned in that cruel way in a public forum. Made me empathise too with what many people go through facing racism in this country.

I've had many such experiences in the decades since that earlier time, relating to different aspects of my life, including mental illness. These days I am more careful to protect myself from being exposed to such things, as much as I can. I mainly only read news on the net, from sources like the ABC and The Guardian. I wouldn't be watching Sky News because it is a news outlet that is known for its right wing and often heartless views. I get that it was your mum watching it though, so you wouldn't have had much choice in seeing that, I'm guessing.

In any case, just wanted to post this to you, since I was thinking about you with it yesterday. We are all strong together here on the forum, where the kind of ignorance you saw in that news show is banished through shared experience, understanding and empathy.

Hugs, forum brother.

hugs my brother @Jacques

Hello @Mazarita, @Ma60, @Former-Member

hi my dear friend @Shaz51 thank you so so much for your support.

hi @Mazarita yes, it did the same for me, unfortunately i was never able to work and i have been on and off centerlink benifits my entire adult life, because of my severe mental anxiety.

people on welfare seem to be an easy target because they can't fight back, we seem to always be a target for others to feel better about themselves.

it is a double blow when you have mental illness as well and people on tv are actually laughing about people suffering from depression and anxiety, they have no idea how dibilitating it truly is. being paralised with fear of one form or another.

Australians have always had a need to pick on minority groups, the itiallians, greeks, vietnamise, muslims, poor, overweight, mental illness, unemployed. we don't seem to need a reson to pick on people, we just seem to do it.

i hope one day australian culture changes and can find a way to be empathetic to others.

i really have turned away from society now because of the toxic culture we now have, and it seems to me to be getting so much worse lately. it is almost like a badge of pride to be cruel.

this forum and people like yourself @Mazarita are the reson i hold hope for society in general, there are good people out there, we just need to grow empathy in the world.

hugs my friend, thank you for your support, it really means so so much to me

Jacques